The Unification of China - District Home

Summarizing
How did the
Legalists think that
a society could be
made to run well?
After all, it was for the prince to govern and the people to obey. Eventually,
Legalist ideas gained favor with a prince of a new dynasty that replaced the
Zhou. That powerful ruler soon brought order to China.
I Ching and Yin and Yang People with little interest in the philosophical
debates of the Confucians, Daoists, and Legalists found answers to
life’s questions elsewhere. Some consulted a book of oracles called
I Ching (also spelled Yi Jing) to solve ethical or practical problems.
Readers used the book by throwing a set of coins, interpreting the results,
and then reading the appropriate oracle, or prediction. The I Ching (The Book
of Changes) helped people to lead a happy life by offering good advice and simple
common sense.
Other people turned to the ideas of ancient thinkers, such as the concept of yin
and yang—two powers that together represented the natural rhythms of life. Yin
represents all that is cold, dark, soft, and mysterious. Yang is the opposite—warm,
bright, hard, and clear. The symbol of yin and yang is a circle divided into halves,
as shown in the emblem to the upper right. The circle represents the harmony of
yin and yang. Both forces represent the rhythm of the universe and complement
each other. Both the I Ching and yin and yang helped Chinese people understand
how they fit into the world.
The Qin Dynasty Unifies China
In the third century B.C., the Qin Dynasty (chihn) replaced the Zhou Dynasty. It
emerged from the western state of Qin. The ruler who founded the Qin Dynasty
employed Legalist ideas to subdue the warring states and unify his country.
A New Emperor Takes Control In 221 B.C., after ruling for over 20 years, the Qin
ruler assumed the name Shi Huangdi (shihr hwahng•dee), which means “First
Emperor.” The new emperor had begun his reign by halting the internal battles that
had sapped China’s strength. Next he turned his
attention to defeating invaders and crushing resistance
within China to his rule. Shi Huangdi’s armies
attacked the invaders north of the Huang He and
south as far as what is now Vietnam. His victories
doubled China’s size. Shi Huangdi was determined
to unify China.
Shi Huangdi acted decisively to crush political
opposition at home. To destroy the power of rival
warlords, he introduced a policy called “strengthening
the trunk and weakening the branches.” He commanded
all the noble families to live in the capital
city under his suspicious gaze. This policy, according
to tradition, uprooted 120,000 noble families.
Seizing their land, the emperor carved China into 36
administrative districts. He sent Qin officials to
control them.
To prevent criticism, Shi Huangdi and his prime
minister, the Legalist philosopher Li Su, murdered
hundreds of Confucian scholars. They also ordered
“useless” books burned. These books were the works
of Confucian thinkers and poets who disagreed with
the Legalists. Practical books about medicine and
farming, however, were spared. Through measures
▲ Traditional
yin-and-yang
symbol
▼ Although a
tyrant, Shi
Huangdi is
considered the
founder of
unified China.
The word Qin is
the origin of
China.
First Age of Empires 107